The U.S. president, Barack Obama, recognized the new National Coalition Forces of the Revolution and the Syrian opposition (CNFROS) as the “legitimate representative” of the Syrian people. Obama affirmed his support for a coalition of rebels that have officially pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda-sponsored terrorist groups responsible for the killing of innocent civilians in their fight to bring down current Syrian president Bashar al-Assad

“We have decided that the Syrian opposition coalition is sufficiently inclusive and representative enough to reflect the Syrian population, who regard it as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people opposed to the Assad regime,” Obama said in excerpts from the interview given to ABC News and that will be broadcast in full on Friday.

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The president described this change in policy towards Syria as “a big step” but cautioned, however, that “obviously, with that recognition come responsibilities.”

Part of those responsibilities, Obama said, is “to ensure that the rebel groups organize effectively” hosting all parties and that “they commit to a political transition that respects the rights of women and minorities.”

For Obama, the recognition of CNFROS as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people, after almost two years of armed conflict, is “a big step” in the framework of the international community’s efforts to end the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.